Darkness Falls
by Seraphim25
Summary: Before Fiona confronted Michael on the roof, he was ready to join James's organization. She managed to save him at the last second, but what would have happened if she hadn't? Mike/Fi
1. Chapter 1

Hi everyone! Here is a story. I've had written for a while that I'm finally gettin around to posting. It is essentially an alternate finale, and is about what could have happened if Fiona hadn't confronted Michael up on the roof. I hope you like it!

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Fiona Glenanne awoke with a throbbing pain on the side of her head. She gingerly touched her fingers to the sore and felt a sticky patch of blood. It didn't seem like a horrible wound, but she did feel a bit woozy. She suspected she had a mild concussion.

She looked around the darkened room and took a few deep breaths, determined not to panic. The last thing she remembered, she had been breaking into a building that had once been used by James Kendrick's organization.

Having been told it was abandoned, she had been unprepared for the blow to the head that had knocked her unconscious. Truth be told, she had no reason to be in that building to begin with. Anyone else could have easily gotten in, since the building appeared to be free of any modern security measures. But she had felt the need to explore it herself, and had even decided against calling Sam or Jesse for backup. This was personal. It had ripped the man she loved out of her life, and she was determined that if anyone took down the organization that the recently incarcerated James had begun, it would be she.

Within a few minutes, Fiona's eyes had adjusted enough for her to be able to make out a metal table in front of her and the matching chair to which she was handcuffed. Other than that, the cement room was empty of objects. The table and chair were bolted to the floor, and there didn't seem to be anything lying around that could be used to break free. Fiona had no choice but to wait until someone came to check on her. Then maybe she could figure out how to escape.

Fiona didn't have to wait long. Less than half an hour later, she heard footsteps approaching her cell. She glared fiercely at the door, not wanting to appear weak to whomever walked through it.

As the door creaked slowly open, the figure that entered looked hauntingly familiar. She couldn't make out the face, but she didn't need to. She would know that body, that stance, anywhere.

Fiona's angry expression turned to one of shock and disbelief. The man standing before her was at once the person she most and least wanted to see at this moment. He had always held her heart and soul in his hands, figuratively, and now literally. When she finally regained he ability to speak, she uttered his name, sounding both hopeful and petrified.

"Michael."

_Two months earlier_

"Fiona was wrong about Mike," Sam hung up his cell phone and turned towards Jesse. "He told me the truth about where he was and what he was doing. It's exactly what it looks like."

Jesse breathed a sigh of relief as Sam began to drive away. "Good, 'cause if Mike switched sides, we'd all be in trouble." He took out his own cell phone so he could tell Fiona the good news.

Fiona answered immediately and listened to what Jesse had to say. She was glad Michael was still on their side, but had some reservations.

"Remember, Jesse, just because Michael wasn't doing anything suspicious now doesn't mean he won't. There is something...off about him."

"Give the guy a break, Fi. He's in the middle of a huge undercover mission. It would make anyone act strange."

Fiona reluctantly agreed and ended the call. She sat staring at her phone, wishing she could call Michael, just to chat. However, he no longer answered her calls, leaving her longing for the days when he would answer on the first ring. She supposed she deserved his silence, considering how much her relationship with Carlos had hurt him. She had pretended not to notice, pretended her new boyfriend was an acceptable replacement, but she knew he had been in pain because she was too.

_No_, she corrected herself,_ I may have thrown the first metaphorical punch, but he returned the blow by sleeping with Sonya. _

Fiona cleared those thoughts from her mind. Michael had nearly completed his mission and this would all be over soon. Then maybe they could begin to rebuild their relationship, even if it had been downgraded to friendship. She'd never admit it to her ex-boyfriend, but she'd take any part of him she could get.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Later that day, Michael stood on the roof, watching James exit his helicopter and Sonya enter it. As soon as the helicopter had taken off, James gave Michael a small smile and a barely perceptible nod, and Michael raised his gun to point it at the leader of his new cause. At his signal, the SWAT team that had surrounded the building came storming in to take James into custody.

Gunfire surrounded them, as James's men put up a valiant effort at defending their leader. But it was pointless; the CIA had them outnumbered and outgunned. When the last of James's men had been taken out, James turned to face Michael. The terrorist threw Michael one last meaningful look and let himself be handcuffed without a struggle. Michael looked up at the blue sky one last time before walking down the stairwell, ready to lead James's organization on his own terms.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Michael spent most of the afternoon at various debriefings, recounting every little detail of his long-term undercover mission. By the time night fell he was glad to be able to drive home to the loft, wanting nothing more than to lie in what remained of his bed and fall asleep.

Upon parking the Charger however, he saw that a dim light was already on in the burnt-out loft. He made his way cautiously up the metal stairs and pulled out his gun as he swung the door open.

"It's me," Fiona said in a tone that suggested that Michael hadn't surprised her in the least.

"What are you doing here?" Michael was proud of the distant, unaffected attitude he had adopted.

"I just...I wanted to...congratulate you on your...on getting the mission done." Fiona looked at the floor, wishing she had just gone back to her own place. For some reason though, she felt the need to be at the loft. Perhaps it was because it had been her home, once. Or maybe it was concern for Michael; she just wasn't convinced that he was being honest with her.

"Thanks Fi." Michael decided to remain polite, even though if anyone could make him lose his cool it was the woman in front of him.

"If you need anything..." Fiona tried again, "I mean, Sam and Jesse have lined up some jobs already so if you need money..." She let the sentence hang in the air between them.

"I should be fine. The CIA will keep me busy."

Fiona quickly looked down at her shoes and nodded. "Okay, I understand. Congratulations on getting your old job back. If you need any help, let me know." She hoped her last comment hadn't sounded too needy.

"I won't." Michael said this in a harsh tone."You can't get involved in anything I'm doing. Do you understand Fi?"

Fiona could tell he was serious and couldn't help but feel a combination of hurt and worry. She decided against pushing Michael any further though.

"Okay, well, good night," she said, heading towards the door.

"Goodbye, Fiona," Michael replied.

As Fiona closed the door behind her, she tried not to dwell on how final that goodbye had sounded. Brushing a tear away, she returned to the house that was not her home.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

For the next few days, Michael finally had a chance to rest. Agent Strong had forced him to take two days off, and for the first time, he was grateful for the chance to relax. He had spent most of his break sleeping, deciding to take full advantage of not being needed by the CIA and not having been contacted by Sonya yet.

When he arrived at headquarters on his first day back, he was immediately called into Strong's office. His supervisor gave him a firm pat on the back and congratulated him once again on a job well done. Then he sat behind his desk and motioned for Michael to have a seat as well.

"I'm not sure how to tell you this, Westen. I guess I might as well come right out with it. We have reason to believe that James's network is not completely destroyed yet."  
Michael schooled his features to appear shocked with hints of outrage. Strong held up a hand and continued.

"What you did has absolutely made a difference," he assured Michael, "but I may need you to do just a few more things to ensure that Kendrick's followers don't rebuild his organization.

Michael nodded, trying not to give away how pleased he was. Now that he was tasked with capturing James's followers, it would be even easier for him to bend the investigation into what he wanted it to be. He once again tuned in to what Strong was saying.

"...and with Ms. Glenanne, Mr. Axe, and Agent Porter helping you, I know you'll finish this mission even sooner."

"Wait," began Michael. "My friends are not going to be working with me."

"But you work so well with them. You were practically begging me to let you see them this past year!"

"I'm done with them. I don't want them to have anything to do with this." There was an unspoken threat behind his words.

"Okay, Westen," Strong conceded. "Have it your way. But I expect you to find these bastards fast."

"You know I will," replied Michael. He was glad that his friends wouldn't be involved. The last thing he wanted was for them to have to deal with fallout from his betrayal. They had been through so much for him already, and he wouldn't let them suffer anymore.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

A mere fifteen minutes after Strong had finished his conversation with Michael, Fiona was awoken by the ringing of the phone on her bedside table. Not recognizing the number, she answered cautiously.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"This is Agent Strong," answered the voice on the other end of the line.

"What do you want?" Fiona asked rudely. "Michael completed his mission, so I'm free. That was the deal."

"Yes Ms. Glenanne," assured Strong, "you are indeed free. I'm only calling to ask for your help."

"Why should I help you?" Fiona's voice was low and dangerous.

"I'm not asking you to help me. I'm asking you to help your boyfriend."

"Michael's not my boyfriend," Fiona was quick to correct. "And if he wants my help he can damn well ask me himself."

She was about to hang up when Strong quickly added, "He's not himself." Fiona was silent. "If I noticed it, then I know you have. This assignment affected him, and I don't think he's back to normal yet."

"So why are you asking me for help? If he doesn't want me around what do you expect me to do?"

"You can try to find the remnants of Kendrick's organization too. Make sure Michael isn't doing anything odd, keep tabs on him."

"Why should I?" Fiona repeated in a cold voice.

Strong sighed. It was time to play his wild card. He had never really understood Michael's connection with the fiery Irishwoman, but he knew it ran deep.

"Look," Strong began, "I could give you plenty of half-assed reasons why you should help Michael, but I'm not going to bother. You're too smart for me to convince you to do something you don't wanna do. But here's the thing, I know you, and I know Michael. I've read both of your files cover to cover. And I know that no matter what anyone says, you are going to help Michael. You've never been able to turn your back on him, and I'm confident you never will. So you can either help him later, after he really messes up, or start helping now, when you have the CIA on your side."

Fiona let out an angry huff, but didn't disagree. Finally she bit the bullet. "Alright, what do you need me to do?"

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

"So, Strong wants you to spy on Michael Westen, super-spy? Is he nuts?" Sam asked incredulously.

Fiona had just described her conversation with Strong to Sam and Jesse. They were not as agreeable as Fiona had been.

"Fi," Jesse began delicately, "You can't keep protecting Mike. I know you have trouble letting him go-"

"I _have_ let go of Michael!" Fiona exclaimed. "I'm _not_ protecting him, I'm protecting the world _from_ him."

Sam and Jesse exchanged furtive looks of disbelief. Neither had the guts to disagree, even though they hadn't fallen for her justification.

"Okay Fi," Sam said calmly. "Why don't you do what you have to do. Jesse and I have a job we just took on, but if you need anything, don't hesitate to call."

"Thanks Sam, I will. I just need to know that Michael is really doing what he says he's doing."

"We get it Fi," assured Jesse. "We'll be in touch."

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

For the next six weeks, Fiona worked constantly. She spent her days researching every little detail about James that the CIA could give her, and her nights spying on Michael and sleeping when she could. She was exhausted, but welcomed the busyness because it kept her mind off of what was lacking in her life. She supposed she should just move on, stop worrying about Michael, and get herself a new, emotionally available boyfriend. But she could no longer fool herself. She had tried to move on but had never been able to escape her feelings for the spy.

Strong was right, if she left now she'd just end up coming back to clean up an even bigger mess. She had finally resigned herself to her fate. And the worst part was that helping Michael, even though he didn't know it, gave her a sense of purpose.

_I really am pathetic,_ she told herself. _I never thought my life would revolve around a man._

Fiona turned her attention back to the receiver of the bug she had planted in the loft. Spying on Michael hadn't gotten her very far in the past few weeks. He hadn't made any suspicious calls or had any mysterious visitors. She was beginning to think that he had been telling the truth after all. Just as she was doubting her instincts about Michael, the man in question pulled his ringing phone out of his pocket and answered it.

"I was wondering when you'd call," he said, sounding pleased. "Are you ready for the next step of the plan?" There was silence for a moment as whoever was on the other end of the phone replied.

"Okay, I'll keep things with the CIA under control, and meet up with you next week." He hung up the phone and Fiona could hear him opening the cooler to get a yogurt.

The call itself hadn't been particularly alarming, but Fiona had a feeling that it was the break she had been waiting for. She got into her bed and drifted off to sleep listening to the familiar sounds of Michael moving around the loft.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Thanks for reading! I hope you're finding it interesting so far.

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Wow guys! I got so many nice reviews on the first chapter that I decided to post the next one as soon as possible. Thanks to all who read and reviewed!

As always, I don't own Burn Notice.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Over the next couple of weeks, Fiona didn't get much farther in her investigation. Strong had been told by Michael that he was close to capturing one of James's most loyal followers, but Fiona couldn't corroborate that. In fact, it seemed as though Michael wasn't even searching very hard. Sure, she had followed him to a couple of meetings with various shady-looking men and women, but most of the time he was planted at the table in the loft writing what looked like plans for some mission that she could only assume was CIA related. However, since she was sure that the only assignment he'd been given was the one Strong had included her on, she was unsure what he was doing.

About two months after James had been arrested, Michael finally left the loft for what seemed would be a significant amount of time, judging by the small suitcase he had taken with him. Fiona took the opportunity to break into her former home, and take a look at the plans Michael had been making. She found them easily, because they were hidden in one of Michael's secret hiding spots, which she knew like the back of her hand.

She was somewhat pleased to find that the plans included the blueprints to a building at an address in northern Miami. _Looks like Michael's found a lead after all._

Fiona placed a hand on her cell phone, then hesitated, trying to decide whether to call Strong and update him. She knew that it would be the safest move, so that she and Michael would have backup no matter what they found. Then she second-guessed herself. _If Michael wants backup he'll call for it himself. _Fiona removed her hand from her pocket, deciding to follow Michael's lead, since he seemed to have a plan. It would be unnerving enough for him to have her following him around, he didn't need the CIA, or even Sam and Jesse on his tail too. Fiona got into her car, entered the building's address into the GPS, and began the drive.

By the time she arrived at her destination, night had fallen and there was a slight chill in the still air. She grabbed her favorite gun and slid it behind her back, searching the surrounding area for Michael or the Charger. She saw neither. Wondering if she had been wrong about Michael's intentions, Fiona decided to have a look around anyway. Her curiosity about why the spy was interested in the modest building still needed to be satisfied.

The structure itself had clearly been abandoned for years. The grounds around it were overgrown, and many of the windows had been broken. It was not the kind of place from which she would expect James to operate. _Perhaps Michael realized it was a dead end and headed back to Miami already._ _I suppose I might as well check it out myself while I'm here,_ Fiona reasoned.

The Irishwoman decided against trying the rotting doors, and instead opted to enter through one of the broken windows. She slid in, but scraped the inside of her arm on one of the shards of glass, causing blood to run down to her wrist. She cursed herself for not being more careful, but could tell that the cut was shallow.

She took a moment to listen hard, and heard the faint sound of voices coming from the other end of the large building. She crept quietly down the hallway, getting closer and closer to the people who were talking in what she assumed was a conference room. When she was close enough that she could hear the rumbling of the voices, but only make out a few words, she stopped dead in her tracks. She recognized one of the voices. That accent had haunted several of her recurring nightmares over the past few months, and she couldn't help but narrow her eyes at the sound. _Sonya_.

She felt a rush of accomplishment at having found the woman whom she hated so deeply, the woman who had made Michael question his loyalty to his friends. Fiona was just about to pull out her gun, although she had no idea what she would do after that, when she felt a rush of air and something solid crashing down onto her head. She felt dizzy and sick for a brief moment, before she collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Her body was dragged into one of the unoccupied rooms nearby, and she was handcuffed to a chair, lying unconscious on the metal table in front of her.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Michael had only just arrived at the abandoned building, and parked in the small parking garage at the rear, when Strong called him. Michael hit the accept button and greeted his commanding officer.

"Westen, any leads?" Strong had been calling almost daily, and although Michael had given him bits and pieces of information to keep him from getting frustrated, he had avoided telling the agent anything significant. This time however, he decided to be as honest as possible. He needed the CIA to trust him, after all.

"I'm actually at an old office in Miami. I heard from one of James's contacts that he used to use this as a safe-house. It doesn't look promising, but I'll let you know if I find anything."

"Okay," replied Strong, not sounding entirely convinced. "Keep me updated."

He hung up without saying goodbye.

Michael slid his phone back into his pocket, and exited the Charger. He entered the building and went up the staircase to the ground floor, beginning to worry when he heard loud, stressed voices coming from the conference room. He entered quickly, after checking to make sure he had his gun.

"Hey!" he shouted above the argument Sonya and two of James's most trustworthy employees, Nicole and Roy, were having. "What's going on?"

"Michael," Sonya said in a quieter voice. "We've captured Fiona."

Michael felt his heart speed up immediately, and hoped no one had noticed The emotional response. "What do you mean? Why would you do that?" His voice sounded strained despite his efforts.

"I found her in the hallway, snooping around," informed Nicole. "How did she find this place anyway?" she asked Michael distrustfully. She had held a grudge against the double agent ever since James had taken such a sudden liking to him only months earlier.

"I don't know," he answered, preoccupied. "She must have been spying on me." He was ashamed he hadn't noticed it, but quite impressed with his ex-girlfriend's skills. "Where is she now?" he asked, trying to hide his concern.

"She's in the interrogation room down the hall, because Roy didn't have the sense to shoot her on sight," Sonya said spitefully.

"She's more use to us alive than dead," Roy defended, crossing his heavily-tattooed arms over his broad chest.

"Roy means that she'll be useful to _him_. He's thinking with the wrong head!" Nicole shouted brashly.

Michael held up his hand, internally deciding what to do next. "She _can_ be useful. Think about it! Strong doesn't trust me completely, but he seems to trust her. I bet she has information that will help us eliminate the CIA threat." Even Michael knew his argument was weak, and was unsurprised when Sonya called him on it.

"Yet another man thinking with his dick! She is a threat to this organization and I will not let her walk out of here alive!" Michael concentrated on slowing his rapid heartbeat.

"It's two against two," reasoned Roy. How 'bout we let James break the tie?"

Sonya nodded, clearly believing James would side with her. Michael agreed as well, hoping it would buy Fiona more time to see things his way. _Maybe I can convince her to work with us_, his brainwashed mind hoped.

Michael took his phone out of his pocket and dialed the number for the burner phone he had slipped James the last time he had "questioned" him in prison. Since James was being kept in high security solitary confinement, chances were slim that he would be caught talking on the cell briefly.

James answered on the second ring, and Michael wasted no time explaining the situation. James listened thoughtfully and finally answered in his typical friendly drawl.

"I can see why you called, Michael. I think you're right about interrogating Ms. Glenanne. But she simply can't be set free again. I know it'll be hard for you," he continued reasonably, "but it is _vital_ to the success of our organization that she either join us or be eliminated. Do you understand why this is necessary?"

Michael said yes, not really thinking about what he was agreeing to. _Eliminated_, _eliminated_, echoed in his head. _She will join us_, he told himself. _I'll explain things to her and she'll get it. I can convince her to help me lead this organization._

He looked over at Sonya, who had taken the phone while he was lost in thought.  
"Yes James," she was saying. "When the time comes, I can do that." She snapped the phone shut before Michael could figure out what their conversation was about. Sonya addressed the group once again.

"We have our orders. James said he wants Michael to interrogate Fiona and try to get her on our side, _if possible_." She looked as though the thought of working with the Irishwoman made her ill. "But if she refuses to follow us, if she refuses to cooperate, James ordered that Michael, and only Michael, get rid of her once and for all." Michael felt a fog descend over his brain at Sonya's final words. _It won't come to that, _he assured himself_._

"Well," he spoke out loud, "I guess I'll get started. This might take a while." Giving his colleagues a weak smile, Michael exited the room and headed towards the makeshift interrogation room where the woman he...had once...cared for, was being held against her will. Slowly, Michael opened the door and stood silent for a moment, as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He nearly cringed at the dissonant mixture of relief and terror he heard in her voice. "Michael."

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Fiona knew that the man standing before her was Michael Westen; there was no one who knew him better than she. But there was something different about him. His expression was cold, distant. He looked at her as though he were trying to convince himself she was someone else.

When she had first seen him come through the door, she had thought he was there to rescue her. However, he just stood in the doorway, staring at her, not making a move to free her. His eyes travelled from her bound wrist to her face, then finally to the bloody gash on her head, and for a moment, she saw concern and perhaps something deeper flash across his face. He finally spoke in a low voice, with an almost imperceptible hint of a tremble, "Do you need something for that?" He gestured in the direction of her head, and she assumed he was talking about her bloody scalp.

"No, thank you," she replied, as coldly as she possibly could. She had hoped that she had been wrong about Michael. She had hoped that his recent odd behavior was simply a side-effect of coming off of a taxing assignment. Unfortunately, it was now clear that Michael had switched sides. Fiona felt a lump rise in her throat but refused to shed a tear in front of this man.

Michael left the room briefly and returned with a first aid kit. He perched himself on the table in front of Fiona, and began cleaning and dressing her head wound and the cut on her arm. Fiona had half a mind to spit in his face and tell him to back off, but his hands were so gentle and his scent so familiar, that she couldn't do anything to jeopardize the brief moment of comfort she was being granted. The moment did end though, and soon Michael was seated across from her in a chair he had retrieved from another room. He stared at her seriously, all business once again.

"Have you been spying on me, Fiona?"

"Yes." She answered calmly.

"Is that how you found this place?"

"Yes," she said again.

"Does anyone know you're here?"

"No." Fiona didn't even bother to try to lie to Michael. He knew her too well to fall for any deception.

Michael rubbed his forehead, seeming disappointed in her last answer. He decided to ask a more challenging question. "How much do you know?"

Fiona answered without hesitation. "I know you betrayed your country. I know you're working for James. I know you're making a _huge_ mistake."

"It is _not_ a mistake," Michael defended. "And I'm not working _for_ James, I'm working _with_ him."

"With him? Oh my..." Fiona looked visibly disturbed for the first time since Michael had entered the room. "_You're_ leading this organization! What is the matter with you? How can you do something so - so _wrong_?"

"It's not wrong," Michael corrected passionately. "It's whatever I want it to be. It's whatever _I_ think is right. I'm not following orders anymore. I'm the one calling the shots."

Fiona simply sat staring at him, dumbstruck.

"And you can help Fi," he added excitedly. "We could use someone like you on the team."

"We?" Fiona muttered, frowning at the word. "We?" she said again.

Michael may not have been himself just then, but he was lucid enough to hear the toxic tone of Fiona's voice. He knew what was coming.

"What do you mean _we_? Your organization needs my help? What about you? How _dare_ you ask me to help the people who destroyed my life, and yours?"

Fiona clamped her mouth shut in order to keep the tears at bay. Michael knew he wouldn't get any farther with her that day, so he decided to give her some time to rethink the situation...and himself time to regroup. He had to admit his interrogation hadn't been by the book.

"I'll bring you some dinner," he offered, "and a pillow and blanket so you can sleep."

She didn't even look at him. "Don't bother," she hissed venomously.

Michael felt his heart sink. This was not how he had wanted things to go. He hadn't expected her to agree to join the organization right away, but he knew that he couldn't live with the alternative. He went to find some food and blankets for Fiona, hoping she might be more open-minded after a full night's sleep. He was tempted to release her wrist from the cuffs, but knew that Fiona could easily escape if he did. And if she left he wouldn't be able to guarantee her safety.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Back in the conference room, Sonya was filling Nicole and Roy in on what James had said to her. "James agrees with me that Fiona must die. But he doesn't want to lose Michael over it. He said to let Michael try his best to convince Fiona to join us, and when he finally realizes it is impossible, _he_ must be the one to kill her. He was very clear on that point."

None of the three seemed to like the plan, but they took James's word as law, and would not disobey.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Michael sat outside of Fiona's room all night, under the guise of preventing her escape. He fell into a light sleep a couple of times, but awoke every time he heard the chain on her handcuffs rattle. Deep down in his heart, Michael was horrified that Fiona was once again in handcuffs. Everything he had done in the past few years had been to keep her out of such restraints._ But this time it's necessary,_ he told himself. _I need to get her to join James, so that she can live_. Despite his justifications, his guilt did not lessen.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi everyone! Here is the next chapter of Darkness Falls. I hope you are all enjoying it as much as I am. Things come to a head in this chapter. I based it a little bit off of the roof scene in the finale, but tried to keep it fairly original.

And I don't own Burn Notice.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Michael went back into the interrogation room early the next morning, just as the sun's light was casting shadows on Fiona's sleeping form. He stood looking at her for what felt like an hour but was only a few minutes. The large part of his heart that he had shut away since going undercover began to consume him once again. It was the part of him that activated whenever Fiona was nearby, burning hot when she touched him, and causing him pain when he disappointed her. Now the pain was nearly crippling, and so he exited the room and walked down the hall to find Sonya.

The blonde woman was sitting in front of a computer, but looked up as soon as Michael entered. "You know there are some cots set up upstairs. You didn't have to sleep in the hallway."

"I wanted to keep an eye on Fiona."

"So she wouldn't escape," Sonya added, knowing as well as Michael that was not the real reason. "Did you get any information out of her?"

"Some," Michael replied. "She confirmed that she has been spying on me, and I'm sure Strong put her up to it."

Sonya did not look impressed. "That's it? That's all you could get? Do you remember what James said?"

"I remember, and she'll give us more information. I know it."

Sonya looked doubtful. "You have two days to try. If you can't sway her, it's your mess to clean up."

Michael nodded and left, ignoring the implication of what Sonya had said. He grabbed two bagels and a bottle of water and returned to the room that was serving as Fiona's cell.

The dark-haired woman was awake and alert when he entered. Dinner from last night sat untouched, but the blanket he had provided was wrapped around her shoulders. He knew she must be especially cold having not eaten for nearly a day. He placed one bagel in front of her, and began eating the other one himself.

"You should eat something," he suggested after swallowing. She ignored him. He quickly gave up on the small talk and decided to start asking his questions instead.

"Does Strong suspect that I've joined James?"

Fiona simply stared at him, looking bored.

"Is the CIA aware of this location?"

"Is this supposed to be an interrogation?" she asked, gesturing between them. "If it is, you really are awful at it. I don't know how you made it as a spy all these years."

Michael felt his frustration building and decided to change tactics. A straightforward interrogation would never work between himself and Fiona. She didn't hold an ounce of fear towards him.

"Fi," he tried again, hoping honesty would work, "I just need a few answers. James said that you can join his organization too. That way I can always make sure you're safe."

"You're doing a good job of it so far," she shot back sarcastically.

"Fiona! I'm doing my best! Sonya wanted to kill you, but I told her she didn't need to. I told her you'd help us!"

Fiona glared stonily at him. "You lied. I will _never_ help them."

Michael was getting desperate. "You _have_ to Fi. It's not so bad, I promise. Now that I'm in charge, I -"

"Don't fool yourself. James is in charge, you're just one of his puppets."

Michael was getting angry now. No one could rile him up like Fiona, and she knew it. "Just stop!" he yelled. "I'm trying to help you, don't you get it?" He saw nothing but pity in the eyes of his former lover but made one last attempt. "_Please_ Fi. If you don't cooperate, James told Sonya to...and she will." He couldn't say out loud what would happen to Fiona if Sonya had her way.

Fiona looked at Michael thoughtfully, studying his face a like a poem she already had memorized. After a minute she spoke. "Then I suppose that's how it will end. Not exactly the fiery explosion I had always imagined, but I guess that's the way it goes."

Hearing her words of acceptance, Michael couldn't stay in the room any longer; he felt stifled and panicked. Fiona was refusing her only chance at getting out alive, and there was nothing he could do about it.

_That's not true_, his heart whispered to his mind._ You can free her, let her escape._ Once Michael had thought about that option, he knew that it was the only thing he could do. But Sonya would would know he had been responsible for Fiona's release. Perhaps if he could convince her that Fiona knew nothing, she would let the slip up pass. _She knows nothing,_ he told himself, not entirely sure that it was true.

Michael decided he would continue interrogating Fiona that afternoon, so as not to rouse his colleagues' suspicions. Then, when night fell, he would uncuff her, hand her the keys to the Charger, and let her go her own way.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Afternoon came, and the former IRA operative was no more gracious than she had been that morning. Michael continued questioning her half-heartedly, not expecting any answers but wanting to have a reason to be in the room other than simply enjoying her company.

He had just asked her for the third time if anyone had followed her to their location when she sighed and folded her arms in front of her.

"What are you doing, Michael?" she asked with a tone of exasperation. "You've made your choice and I've made mine. I don't know what you think you'll accomplish by sitting here with me."

Michael looked down at his shoes and mumbled, "I guess I thought you might like the company."

Fiona raised her eyebrows. "Really? You're sitting here because you don't want me to be _lonely_? It's never mattered to you before."

"It's mattered Fi," he replied sincerely. She scoffed and rested her head on her free arm. Michael saw that she was done humoring him and stood to leave.

"You don't have to go, if you don't want," she said in a whisper.

Michael didn't reply, unsure whether she had meant for him to hear her words, but sat down again and made himself comfortable. He had a feeling he would be there for a while.

Michael and Fiona sat in silence for hours until his phone rang. Seeing it was Sonya, Michael picked up.

"Did you get anything?" she asked.

"Not yet," Michael replied, "but I'm getting close. She's gonna break soon." Fiona raised her head to look at him in mild amusement.

"You'd better hope she does." Sonya warned before hanging up.

Michael rotated his head so he was facing Fiona again, wincing at the smirk on her face. "What? So I stretched the truth."

"_Stretched the truth?_" said Fiona. "You didn't stretch it, you tore it to pieces. You do know that I'm not giving you anything, right?"

"I know," he sighed.

"Do you?" she prodded. "I don't think you've thought this through. What exactly do you think is going to happen to me? Sonya isn't going to let me go, you have to know that."

"I _know_ Fi, but I've taken care of it." He decided it was time to tell her the plan. "Tonight I'm going to help you escape. Sonya will be mad, but I can handle it."

"You can't do that Michael! You'll be killed!"

"It's fine, don't worry about it," he said in a dark voice.

"I won't leave you," she swore.

"You will!" Michael ordered, and stormed from the room before Fiona could say another word.

After his admittedly dramatic exit, Michael headed straight for the conference room, which he was glad to find unoccupied. He stood seething for a moment, cursing himself for creating this situation, and Fiona for making it ten times worse. He reminded himself that once he got her out of there, things would be simpler. He could be a part of something he believed in and she would be free to live life without him. That last part was something he tried not to think about too hard, for fear of changing his mind. Deep down, he couldn't stand the idea of being without Fiona, but it was the only way they could both get what they wanted.

Michael seated himself at the long table and pulled out his gun, figuring that cleaning it might help clear his mind. Just as he was about to remove the first piece, he heard what sounded like an angry voice coming from down the hall. He quickly tucked his gun away and jumped up, jogging in the direction of the voice, which was increasing in volume.

When he realized that the yelling was coming from Fiona's cell he broke into a sprint. He caught what he now recognized as Sonya's voice saying, "_Tell me now!_" and "_Do_ _you want to die_?"

Michael's heart jumped into his throat and he finally reached the room just in time to see Sonya use her gun to hit Fiona over the head hard enough that she fell off her chair and onto the floor, her wrist caught painfully in the handcuff.

"Stop!" he shouted, unable to control his panic. He shoved Sonya roughly aside and ran over to lift Fiona off of the ground, checking her head and wrist frantically. He was relieved to see only one small trickle of blood coming from the fresh wound on her temple. He held her head firmly, taking a moment to calm his ire. If he was going to save Fiona, he couldn't make Sonya any more suspicious than she already was.

Michael and Fiona held each other's gaze briefly, drawing strength from the connection. The Irishwoman was still upset with him, but she was able to catch a glimpse of the old Michael in his eyes. He was returning to her little by little, clear blue eyes breaking through the dark clouds of James's brainwashing.

After he had regained control of his emotions, Michael said calmly, "James told _me_ to interrogate her."

"You were taking too long," Sonya retorted. "I decided to take things into my own hands."

"That wasn't your call to make."

"It was. James made us partners, do you remember? If you are unable to do what needs to be done, then it becomes my job."

"I can do this," Michael hissed, as he led Sonya from the room. "I just need a little more time." He decided it was time to play his final card. Taking a deep breath, to help sell his lie he said, "If I can't get Fiona to cooperate by tomorrow morning, I'll kill her myself."

Sonya looked at him skeptically. "I don't believe you. I've seen how you treat her. You - you care for her. You won't be able to do it."

"I _did_ care for her," Michael conceded, "but that's in the past now. My future is with this organization, with you." He pasted a sincere look on his face, knowing that Fiona would have seen right through it. Sonya however was placated.

"You really will get rid of her tomorrow?"

"Yes," Michael nodded. "If she still refuses to help us, then she dies. I've made my choice."

Sonya gave him a small smile and a kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad you chose me."

Michael smiled as well, until Sonya walked away, leaving him alone in the hallway. The ease with which he had lied to Sonya unnerved him. Not because of how good he was at lying, that was his job, but because he was able to talk about killing his former lover so convincingly. He was doing it to save her life, but it still made him feel like the scum of the earth._ It will all be worth it when she is safe_, he reminded himself. With that he once again entered the interrogation room, to ask questions to which he didn't really care to know the answers.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

That night, Michael sat in the conference room, pretending to be busy with work, until Sonya, Nicole, and Roy had left to get some sleep. None of them was pleased that he had been unsuccessful in interrogating their prisoner. Michael had once again exaggerated what little information he had gained, to the point of lying.

He could tell the women were chomping at the bit to dispose of Fiona, and he shuddered at the thought of what Roy would do to her if he got the chance. However, he had reminded the three of James's orders, and they had reluctantly agreed that they would let Fiona be, until morning.

Once he was sure everyone was asleep, Michael made his way quietly to Fiona's cell. He smiled when she looked up and went over to unlock her cuffs. "Follow me," he whispered once she had stood.

Fiona remained silent, but let him lead her down the dark hallway. When they reached the back door of the facility, Fiona still hadn't uttered a word. He turned to her and saw that her normally blue-green eyes had turned grey with what seemed to be inner turmoil. He didn't have time to dwell on it though, so he simply placed the keys in her hand, closing her fingers around them.

"Take the Charger..." he whispered hurriedly, "...and go."

Fiona stood still for a moment, a faraway look on her face. Slowly, she shook her head and blinked. A single word escaped her lips. "No."

Michael let out a frustrated groan. "What do you mean, no? You have to go Fi! Now!"  
He was getting frantic. Why wasn't she leaving?

"No, Michael. I'd rather stay here, with you."

_Has she lost her mind_? Michael wondered.

"You've been so wrapped up in trying to save everyone else, but who's going to save you?"

He considered this for a moment, wracking his brain for what he had done to deserve such unfailing loyalty from the beautiful woman before him. It didn't seem right that Fiona had given up so much for him. And anyway, he'd already made up his mind.

"I won't let you do this." He grabbed her arm and began dragging her out to the garage, but she managed to shake herself free of his grip.

"_Let_ me? This is _my_ decision, not yours. If you want to work with James and Sonya it will be over my dead body."

Michael wished that she were exaggerating, but he knew from experience that she was not. He was just about to pick her up and throw her in the Charger - unsure what to do after that - when he heard a voice that sent a bolt of fear up his back.

"Shoot her."

Sonya had discovered them, and both Fiona and Michael rotated abruptly to face her.

"She refuses to give us any useful information and she's not going to join us. It's time to end this."

"Please," Michael was close to begging, "just let her go. She won't cause any problems."

But Fiona seemed to disagree. "If you let me go, I will take this organization down."

_She really does have a death wish_, Michael thought, at a loss of what to do. If only he could convince her to leave.

"Just give me a minute," he implored. "I can fix this. I'll make her see reason."

"You've already tried and you _can't_," Sonya said with a tone of finality. "James wanted you to deal with her, but if you can't do it, I will."

Michael was losing focus. Sonya's voice sounded as though it were coming from very far away, and his brain felt foggy. Only Fiona's voice managed to cut through the fuzziness.

"You do what you think is right." Was she giving him permission to kill her?

"Do it, Michael, shoot her! Think of all we can do together. You need to let go!"

Michael couldn't help but be enticed by the world Sonya was offering. And Fiona could ruin all that. He had tried and she had refused to understand. Maybe it was time to cut ties, just as she had been doing all year. Those were the thoughts running through Michael's head as Sonya pulled out her weapon and aimed it at Fiona.

"Fine! You leave me no choice!"

A shot rang through the air, and as Sonya's body fell to the ground, Michael felt nothing but relief.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Thanks for reading! Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Here is the next chapter. I hope everyone is still enjoying this story. Please review and let me know. I'll keep posting anyway but I haven't been getting as many reviews as I did the first chapter so I want to make sure people are still with me. Thanks!

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Michael stood there for a moment, staring at Fiona. She looked shocked but relieved. There was no time to waste though, because mere seconds later the sound of Nicole's and Roy's footsteps could be heard approaching from the hall.

"Give me that," Fiona said, ripping the still-smoking gun from Michael's hand and hiding just inside the door to the garage. When the two remaining members of James's team rushed over to where Sonya lay, bleeding, Fiona came out of her hiding spot and shot them both. Michael, having finally snapped out of his daze, grabbed Fiona's hand and led her to the Charger, driving away from the abandoned building as if it were about to explode.

The first few minutes the couple spent in the car were filled with the sounds of them breathing heavily to calm their racing pulses. After they'd both taken a moment to process what had happened, Fiona asked cautiously, "Are you okay?"

Michael let out a short breath. "Am I okay?" he said incredulously. "I nearly got you killed. Fiona, I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry you had to kill Sonya," she sympathized. Then in a quieter voice she asked, "Do you regret it?"

"Of course I don't regret it Fi! I should have shot her and the others the moment they captured you. I don't know why I didn't." He sounded truly baffled.

"If I had to guess, I'd say that James took advantage of your emotional state. I'm sorry I wasn't with you on this from the beginning, so it wouldn't have gone this far. I was just so...disappointed."

"I was too Fi," Michael returned. There was another moment of silence as both Michael and Fiona dwelled on their mistakes from the past year.

"What are you going to do now?" asked Fiona. "You took down James and his organization. I bet the CIA will be eager to have you back."

Michael let out a chuckle and shook his head. "I'm not going back Fi. It's all been too much; I've lost too much. If I went back, it wouldn't be the same."

Fiona nodded, surprised but pleased that Michael had finally become disenchanted with the CIA. "So...what will you do now?" she asked.

"I'll be wrapped up in debriefings and meetings related to James's trial for a while, so I guess I'll stay in Miami, maybe help Sam and Jesse with some jobs. Are you going to stick around too? Maybe we could do some jobs together," he suggested innocently.

Fiona tried to hide her happy smile. "Yeah, I guess that'd be okay." And with that, Fiona laid her head back against the car seat and drifted off to sleep.

When they arrived in Miami, some hours later, Fiona still had not awoken. Remembering the two blows to the head she had recently suffered, Michael began to worry she might have a concussion. However, as soon as the spy began stroking the back of her neck, Fiona opened her eyes to look at him.

"Where do you want me to drop you off?" Michael asked.

"My place is fine," she said sleepily.

Once they had arrived and parked in the driveway, Michael hardened his features. He didn't want to say goodbye to Fiona yet again, so he simply sat, staring at her. She didn't seem to be in a hurry to escape his presence either. Finally Fiona whispered, "Thank you, Michael, for choosing me."

Upon hearing her words Michael swallowed hard. He didn't deserve her gratitude. He opened his mouth to say as much, but before he could get a word out, Fiona's lips were moving gently over his. It was a brief kiss, but to Michael it felt like a cool rain after spending six months in the middle of a desert. After pulling away, Fiona looked down at her hands. She seemed unsure of herself, which was highly unusual for Fiona. It threw Michael off for a moment, but just as she reached for the door handle, he pulled her towards him again and kissed her passionately, desperately. The two continued kissing, hands wandering, their bodies feeling more alive than they had in about a year.

"Inside," Fiona ordered eventually, and the couple managed to break apart long enough to unlock the door and stumble inside, hands clasped tightly. They resumed their enthusiastic embrace, kicking off their shoes and removing their shirts as they moved towards the bedroom. Fiona fell backwards onto the bed and lay there for a moment, gazing up at her lover with a fully open and joyful expression on her face. She motioned for him to join her and waited, and waited, and waited. Michael stood still at the foot of the bed, looking at her as though she were miles away instead lying half-naked before him.

"Michael?" she asked, trying to figure out what had happened to make him freeze up like that. "What's wrong?"

She was concerned now, as he seemed to have turned a bit green. _Perhaps he is ill_?

"I don't want - I can't. I'm sorry." Michael turned and began to walk out of the room.

Fiona sat in shock for all of three seconds before feeling ire start to bubble up inside her. "Michael Westen get back here right now!" She felt a bit of pride when the feared-all-over-the-world spy stopped in his tracks. "If you leave me like this, you'll wish you'd let Sonya kill me."

Michael turned abruptly and sent her a glare, "Don't joke about that," he ordered.

"Then tell me what I did to kill the mood!" she shot back.

"It's nothing you did," he started. "It's just that this room-" his cheeks took on a reddish tint- "well, it's - it's...not ours," he finished looking down at his bare feet.

Fiona looked confused for a second, then simply said, "Oh." She had nearly forgotten that she had shared the bed underneath her with Carlos for a few months. Apparently Michael remembered vividly.

"We could go to the loft," Michael suggested. Fiona's jaw dropped lower than she'd thought was possible.

"How is that any better?" She sounded livid, and Michael got some satisfaction that she had clearly been jealous of Sonya.

"That was a mission Fi. I slept with her for the mission." Michael immediately took a step back. Fiona was literally shaking with anger, her fists clenched by her side. Somehow she managed to keep her cool.

"So after all these years of being as faithful as a damn dog, you suddenly _have_ to sleep with someone - for the mission - just after you find out that I'm in a serious relationship? Really?" Michael decided it was safer not to answer this question.

"You did it to hurt me, Michael! Why else would you tell me about it first thing the morning after? Poor Sonya probably thought you were out getting breakfast, but you were bragging about your conquest to your _ex_!"

"Oh and you were so subtle with Carlos." Michael felt the need to defend himself. "Half the times you kissed him you were just rubbing it in my face!"

"Rubbing it in your face? How was I supposed to know you were watching my every move?"

"You _knew_!" Michael insisted. "Anyone with your tactical awareness would notice her house was bugged. Don't play dumb! Besides, why else would you change your clothes in the exact same spot every day? A spot that just happened to be directly in front of my bug. Did Carlos know you were giving your ex-boyfriend free shows?"

Less than two seconds after Michael had finished his uncharacteristic tirade, he felt a sharp blow land against his cheek. Fiona had slapped him, hard. He lifted his hand to catch hers, which was coming towards him once more. He already regretted what he had said; Fiona didn't deserve that kind of cruelty.

"I'm so sorry," he blurted out. "That was out of line, Fi I'm -" but he was interrupted by the sob that escaped Fiona's mouth. If he had felt like a jerk before, it was nothing compared to the guilt that rose in him as he listened to the woman before him sobbing. He felt tears burning in his own eyes, and wrapped Fiona in his arms, hoping that would give them both a bit of comfort. She struggled against him halfheartedly for a moment, but finally let her body relax into his. Once her sobs had subsided, he led her back over to the bed and sat beside her.

"I really am sorry Fi. I don't know what got into me. I had no right to be jealous."

Fiona nodded, her eyes still red and teary. "I understand, Michael. It couldn't have been easy to watch your friends and family moving on without you. Just promise you'll stop being so mean about it."

"I promise Fi. I think I just need a good night's sleep."

"Is this bed acceptable for you to _sleep_ in?" she said with more than a hint of sarcasm.

Michael let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, it's fine."

"And Michael?" Fiona asked, lying down on the bed and snuggling into his embrace. "If you tell anyone about those free shows, you can forget getting tickets to the live one."

Michael smiled against her hair. "Duly noted."

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

After the horrible past couple of days they had, Michael and Fiona slept soundly through the night and into the morning. They probably could have slept until noon, if they hadn't been woken up by the sharp ring of Michael's cell phone. He reached for it blindly, and managed to answer the call without dropping it. Sam's voice broke through Michael's grogginess before he could say anything.

"Mike! Bad news. Fi's missing. I know you're busy with other things, and I waited as long as I could to call you, but I'm getting really worried." Sam stopped to take a breath and Michael took the opportunity to calm his friend.

"Fiona's fine. She's right here." Michael tried to whisper so Fiona could continue sleeping, but she opened her eyes and began to stretch anyway.

Sam let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank God. I thought James might have found her."

Michael shot straight up in bed, feeling goosebumps form on the back of his neck. "What are you talking about Sam? James is in jail."

"No he's not, Mikey. Some officers were bringing him to court and some of his people attacked; he escaped."

"Dammit!" Michael shouted, causing Fiona to jump at the volume. He shot her an apologetic look, then spoke into the phone again. "Thanks for letting me know Sam. Can you keep an ear out and let me know as soon as you hear anything else?"

"Of course. Do you need me to come over?"

"We should be fine for now, but I'll be in touch."

Michael hung up the phone and turned to Fiona, concern filling his eyes. "James escaped custody," he informed her.

"Oh no," she replied. "Do you think he knows what we did to his people yet?"

"If he doesn't yet he will soon," Michael confirmed. "He's going to want revenge. You need to go somewhere, where he can't find you."

"Me? What about you? You betrayed him, took down his entire organization. _You're_ the one in danger here."

"Even so, I'd feel better if you went into hiding - just for a little while."

Fiona grabbed his face and aimed it towards her own, to ensure that he saw her eyes. "I'm not going anywhere. Whatever needs to be done, we do it together."

Michael nodded but had one more thing to say. "Aren't you tired of this Fi? I am. I don't want to keep doing one mission after another. It never ends."

Fiona smiled bittersweetly; Michael was finally seeing things from her point of view.  
"So then let's not worry about James." Michael eyed her with curiosity. "I mean it. There are plenty of other agents who can track him down. Don't we deserve a break?"

Michael looked reluctant, but nodded nonetheless.

"Good," said Fiona. "Now that that's settled, let's go visit your mom and Charlie. They're probably worried sick about us."

Michael and Fiona's trip to Madeline's went better than Michael had expected. He had thought his mother would be angry when she heard that he had switched sides for a while, but she was fairly sympathetic and just happy to have him safe. Charlie was ecstatic to see his uncle and aunt, and kept them running around for nearly two hours. After the family had a large dinner of take-out, Michael and Fiona said goodbye and headed back to Fiona's place.

When they turned onto Fiona's street, they saw something that made panic spread rapidly throughout their bodies. Fire trucks and police cars lined the street. For a moment, Fiona was still able to hope that the emergency vehicles where there for another house, until she saw the flames and smoke were coming from hers. _No, please, not again_, she silently begged. But the flames that were eating all of her possessions simply continued spreading.

The Charger slowed to a stop at the barrier of emergency vehicles that lined the front of Fiona's house. Watching all her earthly possessions burn to the ground, Fiona had expected to feel anger, but she felt numb. This was the third time in as many years that she had lost everything. She wondered if she had become immune to the pain.

Turning towards Michael, Fiona saw the anguish that she should be feeling, in his eyes. Before he could voice his empathy though, Fiona ordered, "Let's go."

Michael nodded, swallowing down his emotion. "Where do you want to go?"

Fiona considered his question. Her first thought was the loft, but she didn't want the permeating smell of smoke to remind her of what she'd lost. And she didn't want to impose on Madeline and Charlie.

"Hotel," she finally answered. Elsa's hotel nearly always had a small room open for emergencies, and she'd been kind enough to offer it to Sam's friends whenever they needed it.

Michael nodded his agreement. "That's probably the safest place to go for now."

Neither spoke a word until they had entered the hotel room after checking in. The room was small and out of the way, with no view...just the way Michael liked it. And the soft sheets and thick towels were enough to keep Fiona happy. Michael grabbed a couple bottles of water and joined Fiona where she had settled on the pale blue couch.

"James was responsible for what happened to your house," Michael stated bluntly. Fiona didn't reply, still feeling only numbness. "Your car was still there, and we left some lights on. He must have thought that you were inside." Michael paused for a moment and took Fiona's hand in his. "James is targeting you."

Once again Fiona did nothing but nod, eyes downcast. Michael was beginning to worry about how calm his normally fiery Fi was being.

"Did you hear me, Fiona?" he pushed. She looked at him and gave a small nod, but otherwise remained silent. "I'm going to capture James before he can get to you," he swore determinedly. "I'll kill him if I have to. I should never have saved his life. I'm sorry Fi."

Fiona finally spoke. "You are _not_ going to do this alone. All of this mess happened because you were alone this past year. I'm going to help you this time." She noticed that Michael appeared ready to interject and kept talking. "Don't you dare tell me it's too dangerous. James tried to take you away from me once, and I will _not_ let him do it again."

Michael looked reluctant but agreed nonetheless. Fiona was right. If she had been on his side this past year, he never would have gotten in so deep with James's organization. She was his center, and he now knew from experience that he was lost without her.

Fiona suddenly moved closer to Michael, leaning in close to trace his lips with her fingers. The expression on her face was hard to read, somewhere between curiosity and resignation. He wasn't sure what to expect from her, considering how much she had just lost. So when she moved in slowly to kiss him he let her set the pace.

As Fiona placed her lips hesitantly against Michael's she finally felt something other than numbness. She felt want, need, desire. The loss of her possessions had left her feeling empty, but the man before her had always been able to fill any emptiness she felt. And so she kissed him, with growing intensity, moving herself against him so that there was no doubt what she needed. Fiona's lover seemed more than willing to cooperate. It had been so long since they had comforted each other in this way, in a way no one else could.

As their kisses and caresses grew more passionate, Fiona wrapped her body tightly around Michael's and allowed him to carry her into the bedroom. Both tumbled onto the soft duvet and ripped off their clothes, wanting no barriers between them. They lay on top of each other for a moment, simply enjoying the feel of skin on skin that they had gone for so long without. Soon though, the tension grew to be too much, and their intimate activities resumed. The bodies of the two lovers were so in tune, that it took very little time for them to be ready for the ultimate coupling. And when they joined as one, they finally knew that they were home.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Thanks for reading! Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Hello readers! Thanks for all the wonderful responses to the last chapter. I'm glad that you are still enjoying the story!

This chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but it was hard to find a good place to break without making it too long. I won't make you wait long for the next chapter though.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

The next morning, Fiona awoke to the tantalizing smell of pancakes and eggs. She sat up slowly, still tired from their activities the night before, and went into the sitting room where she found Michael dishing the room service breakfast out onto two plates.

"Morning," he smiled. "They didn't have Spanish omelets, but I thought this would do."

Fiona felt her stomach rumble and sat down, digging into her food enthusiastically.

"Fiona," Michael started cautiously, "are you sure you want to help me capture James? It's not gonna be easy."

"When is our life ever easy? Besides, I might get to shoot someone...or blow something up." Fiona's eyes lit up in a way that made Michael both turned on and very nervous.

"Fi, does Strong know that I - that I was - working with James?" Michael asked, sounding ashamed.

"He suspected you were, that's why he had me following you, but he'll believe me when I tell him you weren't."

"Will you tell him that Fi? I mean, I _was_ working with him. I _am_ a traitor."

Fiona rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous, Michael. It won't be the first time I've lied my ass off for you."

Michael picked up his phone and dialed Agent Strong's number. Strong answered and Michael filled him in on what had happened, both to Fiona and her house. He also told his handler that Sonya and two other leaders in James's organization had been killed.

"Well done, Westen," Strong commended. "That means the organization has been weakened. If you can find James, then I think that should be the end of all this."

"About that," Michael began. "This mission is going to be my last. As soon as James is captured, I'm handing in my resignation."

"Okay...I suppose you deserve it. You've put up with a lot over the years. But the higher ups aren't too thrilled with the way our last plan to catch James turned out, so there's no room for error this time." Strong didn't wait for Michael's answer. "I have some time at 6 this evening. Come to my office and we'll discuss plans."

"We'll be there."

"Just you, Westen. Your girlfriend's pretty but she's not my employee. Come alone." Strong hung up before Michael could argue.

"Where are we going?" Fiona immediately asked.

"Shopping," Michael replied in an overly cheery tone. "You just lost your belongings and I recently regained access to the money I saved up for the past twenty years."

Fiona's eyes widened and she grabbed Michael's wallet, motioning for him to follow her.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

When the couple returned later that day, their arms were full of shopping bags and Michael's wallet was considerably lighter. The spy didn't mind though, because Fiona had a smile on her face and a spring in her step.

Placing her new items in the bedroom, Fiona glanced at the clock, surprised to see that it was almost 5:30pm. "What do you want to have for dinner?" she called out to Michael.

"Why don't you order room service? I have to leave now if I'm going to meet up with Strong in time."

Fiona realized that when Michael had distracted her earlier he must have been avoiding telling her that she was not invited to the meeting. She had to give him credit though, because she was too excited about sorting out her new belongings to feel left out.

"You go to that meeting, but do _not_ make any decisions without talking to me, understand?" The unspoken threat was clear in her voice. Michael gulped comically and nodded, smirking. He allowed Fiona to kiss him on the cheek, and went off to his meeting, making sure the door was locked firmly behind him.

As soon as Michael entered Agent Strong's office, he felt guilt bubble up inside of him. Ever since Fiona had nearly become a casualty of his betrayal, Michael had felt unworthy of his former life. He was grateful that his spy training allowed him to hide his feelings from his handler. Worried that small talk might lead to him accidentally letting something slip, Michael got straight to business.

"Whatever we do to get James, we have to do it fast. He seems to have his sights set on Fiona and the longer he's loose the more likely he is to do some damage."

Strong narrowed his eyebrows. "Why do you think Ms. Glenanne is being targeted? She had nothing to do with his capture."

Michael was reluctant to give Strong too many details, since he preferred to keep his relationship with Fiona as private as possible, but he knew that the information was needed in order to find James.

"I shot Sonya, and she was his protégée. I think he's trying to get revenge by making me go through something similar. He knows I care about Fi."

"Mmhmm. So then, I suppose the best way to do this is to tempt James with what he wants...a trap of sorts."

Michael knew exactly what Strong was thinking, because it was what he himself would be thinking if anyone other than Fiona were in danger. "No, that plan is off the table. We'll have to find another way."

Strong looked displeased but not surprised. "I know this isn't ideal Westen, but what else are we supposed to do? He's too smart to let himself be found."

Michael's face was tinged with redness. "Fiona has been through enough. I'm going to get in touch with him through a third party, maybe one of his tech guys. He won't be able to resist meeting with me, since I ruined his organization. That's when your men can make their move."

Strong was shaking his head slowly. "That's not an ideal plan, Westen. Why work with people who want you dead almost as much as James does in order to set up a meet on his terms when you can lure him anywhere using Fiona?"

"Because Fiona is not _bait_ and I will _not_ put her in danger again."

Strong knew Michael well enough to know when arguing would be pointless. He could technically order the younger agent to follow his plan, but Michael had always been a loose cannon where his girlfriend was concerned. The older agent decided it would be best to agree with Michael's plan until he could come up with something better. _It's too bad Glenanne is the only one who can force him into anything_, he thought to himself. And with that, he knew exactly what he would have to do to get the bait that was vital to his plan. He took out his phone and dialed Fiona's number, hoping he could reach her before Michael got home.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Fiona answered her phone, after noting with curiosity that the caller ID read 'blocked.'  
"Ms. Glenanne," said the voice on the other end. "This is Agent Strong. We need to talk."

Fiona felt her skin begin to tingle with fear that something had happened to her boyfriend. "Is it Michael?" she asked. "Has something happened?"

"Michael's fine for now," Strong assured her quickly. "I'm actually calling to ask for your help in capturing James Kendrick."

Fiona bristled at his boldness. "As I've said before, I work with _Michael_, not the CIA. If Michael needs my help he can ask me himself."

Strong spoke before she could hang up. "Michael won't ask because he doesn't want to put you in danger. _I'm_ asking because _I_ know you can take care of yourself."

Fiona sighed. As reluctant as she was to work with the CIA, she had to admit that the agent's story rang true. Ever since she had gotten out of jail, Michael had picked up the annoying habit of trying to keep her on a pedestal. She decided to hear what Strong had to say and decide for herself whether the plan made sense. "I'm listening."

"Well," Strong began, "I think the best plan for catching James is to lure him out by using you as bait." He had heard enough about Fiona Glenanne to know that she would appreciate his bluntness.

"And Michael wouldn't hear of it," Fiona finished for him. "Did he have a better idea?" She couldn't think of one so she doubted Michael had.

"He came up with some half-baked plan that had him using third party contacts to get a face-to-face meet with James."

"That idiot," muttered Fiona. "That would be suicide."

"I know, hence my call to you. I knew you would do what's best for Michael, even when he wouldn't."

Fiona sighed heavily. "Alright, I'll talk to him."

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

When Michael arrived at the hotel room an hour later, he was carrying a bag full of Chinese take-out. "It's nothing fancy, but it's all I had time for," he apologized.

Fiona helped unpack the food and then sat down and began to eat. She looked up at her boyfriend, who had also started digging in.

"I got a call from agent Strong today," she said innocently.

"What about?" asked Michael, already suspicious.

"He told me about his plan for capturing Strong. It's a good one...it's simple and it makes sense."

Michael narrowed his eyes and placed his fork down on the table. "It's good, tactically, but we're not using it. I came up with a better plan."

"Just because your plan will get you killed instead of me does _not_ make it better."

"Yes, it absolutely does Fi. _I'm_ the agent, I'm using _my_ plan."

"You can use your plan," she conceded, "but you'll have to wait until I've tried Strong's plan first." Michael glared. Was Fiona trying to give him a heart attack? Why must she always complicate things?

Fiona could tell her boyfriend was getting worked up, so she went over and knelt beside him, placing a hand on his arm. "I know you're trying to keep me safe, but one of the things that made me fall in love with you was that you believed in me. You treated me like I was valuable and strong. Like a diamond, not a fragile piece of glass."

Fiona's uncharacteristic sappiness made her feel a bit cheesy, but it did get Michael's attention. He sighed and made eye contact, some of his stubbornness fading away. "I _do_ believe in you, but I want you to be safe. I need you, Fiona."

Fiona could never get used to Michael openly voicing his feelings for her, but she reveled in it just the same. "Isn't there some way to do this without putting either of us directly in the crosshairs?"

Michael pondered this for a moment then nodded slowly. "I think so. What if you draw James's attention by asking some of your less trustworthy contacts for help fleeing the country? You can arrange a meet with the ones who are most eager to help; chances are James will have bribed at least one of them to keep an eye out."

Fiona nodded her agreement, motioning for him to continue.

"But when the time comes, _I'll_ be the one at the meet." Fiona began to protest but Michael kept talking. "James is less likely to shoot me on sight; he always justifies killing employees before he does it. If you show up he'll shoot you without a second thought, to teach me a lesson."

Fiona wasn't completely happy with Michael's plan, but it seemed like a fair compromise. And she figured she could still back Michael up at the meet. "Okay," she agreed. "First thing in the morning I'll call around asking for passage out of the country and you can tell Strong what we've decided to do." She began unbuttoning Michael's shirt, planting kisses on every inch of his skin as soon as it was exposed. "But for now, let's just enjoy the night."

Michael licked his lips and smiled. "That's the best plan I've heard all day."

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

When Fiona awoke the next morning, she saw that Michael had already left and assumed he had gone to talk with Strong. She pulled out her phone and called the first of her shady acquaintances. The woman on the other end of the phone seemed surprised to hear from her, and barely listened to Fiona's request before hanging up on her. This only meant that the contact had not been bribed by James, and so Fiona continued making her calls.

Approximately two hours later, Fiona had completed her task. Out of the ten people she had reached, five refused to even talk to her, and two heard the less than generous price she was offering and hung up, but three others sounded interested.

Fiona had purposefully offered to pay a low, but not-too-low-to-be-believable price for her transport. That way, only those people who were being bribed by James or were desperate for money would accept. Two of the contacts agreed to meet up with her later that day, and one said the next day would be better.

Fiona then called Michael to ask him to pick up some guns from their storage facility. "I know the CIA will be there, but we should be properly armed too," she explained.

"What do you mean by 'we' Fiona? You agreed that _I_ would meet up with these people alone."

"You can, but I'm going to be backing you up," she insisted.

Michael didn't want to admit it, but having Fiona there would make him feel safer. As long as she was out of the way of any danger. "I'm not going to be able to change your mind, am I?" he questioned.

"Nope," said Fiona, flippantly, and proceeded to give him the address of an out-of-the-way shack where he would be meeting the first contact. "See you there. And Michael...be careful."

"You too Fi," he replied.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Sorry about ending here, but I'll post the next chapter soon! Especially if you review! :-)


	6. Chapter 6

You guys are really so awesome! I have loved the reviews I've been getting...they are so kind and encouraging. Thank you!

I'm going to warn you that this chapter ends in a bit of a cliffhanger. I'm not trying to be evil, but I had to split the story up somewhere, and that seemed like the place that made the most sense. Sorry! I understand if you choose to wait until I post the next and final chapter so you can read both together.

As always, I do not own Burn Notice in any way, shape, or form. I just write these stories for fun.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Fiona arrived at the location of the meeting before Michael, so she had plenty of time to set herself up in the woods about a hundred feet away from where Michael and her contact, Jerry, would be meeting. She was actually glad that she wouldn't be seeing Jerry face-to-face. The slimy, rat-like man always hit on her when she did business with him. A part of her hoped that he _was_ working for James, so that she would have an excuse to shoot him.

As she was thinking this, she heard Michael's voice erupting from the earpiece the CIA had lent to her so that she would be able to hear what was going on. She assumed that meant Michael was being wired up, and that it was almost time for the meet. The former gunrunner felt anxiety begin to bubble up in her chest. It was always more nerve-wracking seeing Michael in danger than it was being in danger herself.

Sooner than Fiona would have liked, Michael was standing at the rendezvous point, ostensibly relaxed. After about five minutes of waiting, Jerry drove up in a bright yellow convertible. She was glad that he seemed to be alone, but knew that they were not in the clear yet. Jerry exited his car and walked slowly towards Michael, gun raised and a suspicion-filled expression on his face. She listened closely to the men's conversation.

"Where's Fiona?" asked Jerry. "I was told that I would be meeting with her."

"Something came up," replied Michael, cryptically. "She sent me instead."

"And who are you?" Jerry seemed angry but certainly not panicked.

"I'm her partner, Michael."

Recognition and more than a little apprehension filled Jerry's expression. "You're Michael Westen. I've heard of you."

Michael was surprised by this, as Fiona tended to hide her personal life from her business associates.

"I used to ask her out all the time, but she never said yes. I heard that she was sleeping with you, but I didn't think it was exclusive. She set me straight," Jerry absentmindedly rubbed a scar above his left ear as he spoke.

Michael smiled to himself, proud of his girlfriend for being so capable. Having spent so much time and energy fighting other people's battles, it was nice to be with someone who could take care of herself. He shook himself out of his thoughts, and continued to vet the man before him. "So, you offered to take her to Europe, and for a pretty low price," Michael said casually. "What makes you so eager to spend time with her?" he asked, though he was pretty sure he already knew.

"Because she's a hot piece of ass," said Jerry crudely, confirming Michael's suspicions. "I figured if I did her a favor, she'd pay me back in other ways. You know what I mean?" Jerry let out a low, perverted laugh. Michael hadn't realized that a laugh could sound perverted, but Jerry's definitely did.

"I know what you mean," Michael nodded, before pulling his fist back and slamming it into the greasy man's face.

Jerry swore loudly before taking off, leaving a few drops of blood behind him. Michael knew Fiona would not be impressed that he had felt the need to 'defend her honor,' but he had let his girlfriend down enough lately, and refused to let Jerry objectify her. Sure enough, as soon as the garish convertible had disappeared from sight, Fiona marched up to Michael and kicked him in the shin.

"I don't need you to fight my battles."

"I know you don't," Michael answered once the pain had abated. "That was for me." Fiona seemed mollified by that answer. "Besides, he clearly wasn't working for James, he just wanted to get you alone so he could..." Fiona smirked at Michael's inability to finish the sentence.

"So he could what? Do the same despicable yet thoroughly _enjoyable_ things to me that you did just last night?"

Michael frowned but nodded, "Yes."

Fiona rolled her eyes. "Well, at least try to behave yourself at this next meeting, will you?"

Michael nodded and followed Fiona to her car so they could drive to the next meeting place, a small pond in a quiet park. Fiona once again hid with her gun, ready to back Michael up if necessary. This next contact, Christy, had been helpful to Fiona in the past. She was a criminal with a heart of gold, if that was possible. Fiona doubted that she would be working with James, but wasn't willing to bet her life on it, or Michael's.

As she watched from her hiding spot, the first thing Fiona noticed was that Christy seemed nervous. She kept looking over her shoulder and was wringing her hands anxiously. The Irishwoman hoped Michael would notice this and use caution when dealing with the fair-skinned contact.

Fiona had no doubt that her boyfriend was able to judge most people accurately, but abused mothers seemed to be his kryptonite. She understood why he had a soft spot for such women; they reminded him of his own mother. However, it had nearly gotten him killed more than once in the past, and she was afraid that he had not yet learned his lesson. For that reason Fiona had purposefully neglected to tell Michael that Christy was a single mother who had recently gotten out of an abusive relationship. She needed Michael's head fully in the game for this operation.

As Fiona finishd her thought, she noticed Michael approaching the woman in question slowly. "Are you Christy?" he asked gently. When she nodded he quickly explained, "I work with Fiona. She couldn't make it so she sent me instead."

Christy appeared to be concerned and both Fiona and Michael wondered if this meant she was indeed planning to turn Fiona over to James. "Is she okay? Someone called me who wants her dead. I didn't wanna tell her over the phone, but can you pass the message along?"

"I will," Michael replied, trying to hide his frustration at another dead end. So far neither of the meetings had gotten them anywhere.

"Make sure she knows she's in _serious_ trouble," Christy warned. "This guy who called me, I think he wants to kill her. He seemed nice at first, but he offered me money to bring Fiona to him. A _lot_ of money."

She looked as though she were regretting her decision to pass on the offer, so Michael slipped her several hundred dollar bills that he'd had in his pocket in case either of the meets went sideways. Christy looked at the money and then back at Michael, giving him a grateful nod. It wasn't much, but it was a nice reward for doing the right thing. The money seemed to boost Christy's memory as well, because she began speaking once more.

"Tell Fiona, if she knows someone named Michael, tell him to watch out. This guy on the phone seemed wicked pissed at him. He sounded kinda nuts, the way he was yelling about how Michael had taken everything from him and he was going to make him wish he was dead." She shivered, remembering James's exact words. "Dude was kinda cliché, but he had some serious plans for this Michael."

The man in question nodded and thanked Christy. She hadn't told him anything new, but he now knew for sure that James was trying to find and kill him and Fiona. He began to walk back to the CIA van, which was hidden a ways away, so that he could return his wire and go home for the night.

Fiona however, stood frozen in the spot from which she had been observing Michael's meeting. Christy's words hadn't been unexpected, but for some reason, hearing that James had horrible plans for Michael made her feel helpless and panicky.

_You agreed to_ _Michael's plan_, she reminded herself. _You and the CIA will have his back. It's a good plan_. Her little pep talk did nothing to alleviate the worry in the pit of her stomach. The worry itself, well, worried her. She didn't worry; Glenannes didn't worry. There was no point, nothing to be gained. But as she watched Michael walk away from the pond, alive and healthy, she felt a strong desire to keep him that way. _Maybe I should handcuff him to a staircase_, she chuckled ironically before packing up her gun and following her boyfriend away from the pond.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Fiona managed to push her concerns out of her mind for the rest of the evening. During dinner she and Michael mostly discussed work, which helped her hide her personal doubts. They agreed that the meeting with Fiona's fellow gunrunner the next day was likely to be the one orchestrated by James. This hunch was only strengthened when Fiona received a message telling her the location of the meet. It was on the outskirts of Miami, at what had once been a small airport, but was now an overgrown field. Upon looking the location up on a map, Michael and Fiona realized that there would be very few places from which backup could be provided. This meant Michael would be in trouble if things went south.

Fiona tried her best to convince Michael to let her go in his place, but he had refused. She would have argued, but when it came down to it, James was more likely to shoot her without hesitation than Michael. Of course, that didn't mean she was comfortable with the plan, and so she spent nearly two hours going over every detail before Michael was saved by the trill of his cell phone.

"Yeah Sam," he answered.

"Mikey...Jesse told me he heard through the grapevine that you had a couple of interesting meetings today. What happened to keeping me updated?"

"Sam...about that-" Michael began to explain but Sam interrupted.

"I know you've probably got some trust issues going on, with what happened this past year, but I hope you know that I'm still here for you, brother."

Michael nodded until he realized that his friend couldn't see him then said, "I do know that Sam. It's just, I didn't want to bother you or Jesse, or my mom. You've all been through a lot because of me."

"And we'd do it again Mike, you know that."

Michael closed his eyes in silent gratitude and then sighed. "You know, Fi and I could use a third opinion on this mission we have tomorrow."

He filled Sam in on the plan for the next day, and even though his friend didn't have any miracle solutions, it felt good to be chatting with him once again. They avoided discussing the recent past, but not because it was too awkward. Instead, it didn't seem to matter. They were best friends, and even though there had been a few bumps an potholes, they were still traveling along the same road.

By the time the two men finished their long, healing conversation, it was nearly midnight. Fiona insisted on going over the plan one last time, and probably would have gone over it twice had Michael not begged her to go to bed.

And so all of that had led her to lying in bed beside him, unable to rest, feeling sick with nerves. She squirmed around, trying to get comfortable, until she found herself face-to-face with her lover. It had been a long time since she had simply watched the dark-haired man while he was sleeping. Even when they had been living together, Michael had been far more likely to lie awake ruminating than she. Now however, Fiona found that she could hardly take her eyes off of him, his face not completely relaxed, even in deep sleep.

Fiona kept staring at him, wondering if this would be the last night she would be able to sleep beside the love of her life. It certainly wasn't the first time she had questioned that, but she couldn't remember being quite so terribly anxious about one of his missions before. She supposed it was a side-effect of nearly losing him to James's mind games, or the personal betrayal she had felt. Either way she didn't like it. She kept recalling Christy's words of caution for Michael, unable to repel the sense of foreboding that had accompanied them.

Finally, exhausted and fully frustrated by her inability to do more than watch Michael's meeting and hope James didn't kill him on the spot, Fiona came up with a plan of her own. If Michael didn't die, he would kill her for it, but she decided she was willing to take that risk. After working out most of the plan's kinks in her head, she was finally able to drift off to sleep for a few hours. When she woke up it was still dark, but she got up, wrote Michael a note, and prepared herself to put her plan into action.

A few hours later, Michael began to stir, sensing that Fiona was absent before he was fully awake. It unnerved him that she had been able to sneak out of bed without him noticing, but it wasn't unusual. She was the only person around whom he was relaxed enough to sleep soundly. The spy tried not to panic, but was definitely uneasy until he noticed a note containing her handwriting on his bedside table.

_Michael, I'm sorry I couldn't be here to see you off this morning, but I promised your mom I would watch Charlie so she could go to a sunrise yoga class. Be safe.  
Love, Fi_

Michael's heart sank at her words, but he was glad that she seemed to have calmed down since last night. She had been extremely worked up about the idea of him meeting her contact, and likely James, alone. He had explained to her that there was simply no place for her to hide, but she seemed reluctant to take that as an answer. Instead, she had insisted that they go over the plan again and again, until Michael was too tired to focus. It was probably better that Fiona had found a way to distract herself. He just hoped she and his nephew wouldn't cause too much trouble together. The last time she had babysat she and Charlie had hidden army men all over the house. He had nearly lost a finger trying to remove one from his mother's garbage disposal.

Just over an hour later, Michael was dressed, wired up, and driving to the location of the third meet. He saw a black SUV on the airfield and parked his own car about fifty feet away. Michael tucked his gun behind his back and exited the Charger, hoping that if James was there, he could take him out before he himself was taken down. He didn't like his odds, and tried to figure out when he had become a suicide agent. It took about five seconds for the spy to remind himself that he was stepping into this tactical nightmare to save Fiona's life, and in no time he found himself facing the SUV.

Sure enough James wasted no time exiting the van, but before Michael could register the evil glare James was sending his way, he felt the sting of a bullet tearing through his abdomen.

Michael clenched his teeth, reaching down to place his hand over the new hole in his body. It seemed not to have hit any vital organs, which Michael suspected James had ordered on purpose. He wanted to make Michael pay. The only solace in Michael's mind was that it was he and not Fiona who had been shot. He assumed that if she had been in his place, then James's shooter would have shot to kill.

Michael sank to his knees, beginning to feel lightheaded from the blood loss. He looked up and saw James towering over him, a cruel sneer on his face. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Michael saw something that truly terrified him. Fiona was climbing out of the trunk of the Charger, where she had apparently been hiding, armed with nothing but a single gun.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Please review and I'll post the next part very soon!


	7. Chapter 7

_Michael sank to his knees, beginning to feel lightheaded from the blood loss. He looked up and saw James towering over him, a cruel sneer on his face. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Michael saw something that truly terrified him. Fiona was climbing out of the trunk of the Charger, where she had apparently been hiding, armed with nothing but a single gun._

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Michael willed himself to move, causing James to kick him but also miss the fact that Fiona was creeping around the Charger towards the other side of James's SUV, weapon drawn. Words couldn't describe the emotions that Michael felt at seeing Fiona in that moment. The most manageable emotion seemed to be anger. Anger at James for threatening their lives, anger at Fiona for going against his plan, and anger at himself for not killing James one of the many times he had the chance.

Michael watched from his spot on the ground, unable to do more than try to crawl into a sitting position and watch in horror as Fiona shot through the open window of the SUV, killing the man who had shot Michael, and drawing James's attention to her at the same time.

Even injured and nervous, Michael refused to sit by and watch Fiona in danger. Taking advantage of James's surprise, Michael tried to maneuver himself so that he could access his own gun, but was frustrated to find that his body simply would not cooperate.

Upon seeing who had come to provide backup for Michael, James smiled proudly. "I assumed you wouldn't be far away," he said to Fiona, motioning with his gun. "Come on over here, we should all talk."

"Leave her out of this!" Michael protested, trying to catch his breath. "Please, you already have me, just let her go."

To his utter surprise, James looked at Michael thoughtfully then nodded. "Alright, Michael," he granted. Michael was relieved for less than a second, before he remembered with whom he was dealing. James clearly had some ulterior motive. He would never show mercy unless it benefitted him in some way. Michael observed James carefully from the now bloody ground, wondering what James _really_ had planned for Fiona.

James turned back towards the auburn-haired woman, who was walking out from behind the SUV, gun pointed steadily at him, and said, "You're free to go, Ms. Glenanne. I'm sure Michael won't mind if you take his car...he won't be needing it anymore."

Fiona gave James a look of total disgust. It was nearly identical to the one she used to aim at Larry whenever their paths crossed. "I'm not going _anywhere_, you evil bastard. I leave with Michael or not at all." She inched closer to where her boyfriend lay, blood still flowing from his side.

Michael began to yell at her to go, but was interrupted by his own coughing. He imagined that his lungs were filling with blood and began to worry that he wouldn't be able to get himself, or worse, Fiona, out of their deadly predicament.

James ignored Michael's suffering, focusing on Fiona instead. "I thought you might feel that way," he drawled. "Unfortunately, one and _only_ one of you will be alive at the end of our conversation."

Fiona looked at him with eyes full of confusion and more than a little hatred. "Do you _actually_ expect me to believe that you're going to let one of us go?"

"Of course I do, it only makes sense. If I kill you both, neither of you will suffer the way you deserve."

Fiona shook her head, taking a few more small steps in Michael's direction. It was obvious she was itching to run to his side. "Why haven't you shot me already then? What are you waiting for?"

"Who said I was going to kill _you_? I admit, that was my original plan, but Michael here is halfway dead anyway. And it would be such sweet revenge to torture and kill the man who destroyed my empire.

"You _won't_ be killing him." Fiona stated. "_I'm_ the one who dies." To James's surprise and Michael's horror, Fiona lifted her gun to her own temple, stepping sideways until she was only a few feet from Michael.

James chuckled, twistedly amused. "Now, that won't be necessary, Ms. Glenanne. I'll be more than happy to take care of that for you."

Michael struggled to his hands and knees, determined to protect Fiona in any way he could, if only he could get one more burst of strength.

Fiona nodded brusquely. "Okay. But first, could I say goodbye to Michael? I'll give you my gun as a token of good faith." Michael let out a groan of frustration. How could this be happening? And why couldn't he stand? Fiona needed him!

James shook his head in obviously fake pity and motioned for Fiona to slide her gun to him. She did so and James said, "You have one minute, make it count."

Fiona closed the distance between herself and Michael. The former spy immediately began begging her not to give herself up, ordering her to let him die instead. His words were not entirely clear as a result of blood loss and agitation, and Fiona refused to listen. Instead, she glanced over her shoulder at James, checking to be sure he was still standing by the SUV. The Irishwoman turned back to her boyfriend, her love, and wrapped his bruised and bloody body in her own. Putting her mouth close to his ear, she whispered a single, simple sentence that said everything. "Time to be brave, my angel."

Upon hearing those familiar words, Michael stopped struggling to rise and instead let his muscles relax. At the same time, Fiona removed a detonator from a pocket in her cargo pants and pushed the red button. As soon as she had done this, she flung her body over Michael's, willing herself to lie still, covering him, even as the heat and pressure from the explosion encompassed her.

The expertly-made bomb killed James instantly, but Fiona was unable to admire her handiwork, as she was lying unconscious on top of Michael. The former spy managed to stay awake, having been shielded from the worst of the explosion by Fiona. He tried to get out from under her, but his body still refused to respond.

Michael's mind too was uncooperative, running rampant with memories and regrets that he had always hoped to avoid. He had made many mistakes over the years, and although he had done good things, he had done some terrible things too. Not the least of which included turning his back on the few people who truly cared about him...loved him. _Perhaps_, his panic-addled mind considered, _it's time to stop worrying about the greater good and simply _do_ good_. He nearly chuckled when he realized that was what Fiona had been trying to tell him all along. And as he lay there, listening to the sirens come closer and closer, his only bit of solace was the fact that he could feel her heart beating beside him and her faint breath against his cheek.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Against Michael's will, he and Fiona were loaded into separate ambulances. He didn't see her when he arrived at the hospital either, since he was whisked immediately into surgery. When he finally awoke from the anesthesia, Michael had no idea how long he had been out, but he could tell that Fiona was still absent. He could remember the heat that had come from the explosion, and feared Fiona had borne the brunt of it. As he shifted painfully in bed, he noticed there was a woman sitting by his bedside, but her hair was short and blonde, and she gave off a slight aroma of tobacco.

"Ma," Michael managed to croak out.

"Michael," she gasped, moving to his side, "I'm so happy you're awake!"

Michael gave her a brief smile in acknowledgement, then asked, "Where's Fi?"

To his enormous relief, his mother smiled. "She's in a room down the hall. She's recovering from some burns, but the doctor says she'll be fine. Jesse's with her now."

Michael nodded, adjusting himself so that his bandaged side was in a more comfortable position. His mother put a cup of water up to his lips and he sipped it, the coolness of it soothing his parched throat. Once he had drunk most of it, he lay back against the pillows and closed his eyes. Madeline patted his head lovingly and assured him that it would be good for him to rest. Michael was able to drift off to sleep once again, content in the knowledge that Fiona was safe and the rest of his family was nearby.

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

The next time Michael opened his eyes, it was dark in his room, leading him to believe that he had been asleep for at least half the day. Since he was feeling better, he thought he'd try to find Fiona's room, to see for himself how she was doing. The injured man was saved from having to make the effort though, because the woman in question was already seated beside him, looking drowsy.

"Fi?"

"Michael," she said, immediately alert. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah Fi. How about you?"

"I have some burns on my back," she admitted, "and I'm going to have to get a hair cut" -she glanced down at her singed ends- "but I'll be okay." Michael nodded and tried to sit up, but was unable to do so until Fiona stuffed some pillows behind his back.

"Are you supposed to be out of bed?" Michael asked suspiciously. He was glad to have Fiona beside him but he wanted her to heal quickly.

"It's fine as long as my doctor doesn't come in. Or Madeline. Or Sam. But they're having dinner in the cafeteria so we should be good for now." Michael shook his head but couldn't help but grin at Fiona's flippancy.

"I really wish you hadn't put yourself in danger like that," the spy admitted, his face darkening. "James was _my_ problem to deal with. I didn't mean for you to get caught up in all that."

Fiona kept her eyes locked on Michael's as she replied, "Your problems are my problems, too. You help me with my thing and I help you with yours, remember?" Michael wasn't sure whether to be happy or discouraged at her explanation.

"Is that why you took care of my family this year? Mom said you made her life so much easier."

"I took care of them because they're _my_ family too," Fiona replied stiffly, as if daring Michael to protest. He didn't, and her body language softened.

"Charlie will be so glad you're awake," Fiona informed him. "He's with Jesse tonight but I'm sure he'll visit tomorrow." Michael glanced down nervously at the mention of his nephew. He hadn't spent much time with his brother's son over the past year.

"i haven't been a very good uncle, have I?" Michael asked guiltily. "I'm surprised he knows who I am."

"Children are very forgiving, Michael," Fiona assured him. "They love the people who love them...even if they're not around a lot." Fiona's voice got quiet, and for a moment the only sounds in the room were her and Michael's quiet breaths.

"Strong came to see you a couple hours ago," she mentioned suddenly. "He wanted to ask you to officially rejoin the CIA." Fiona said this as if she were swallowing a large, bitter pill.

"Did you shoot him?" Michael asked, only half-jokingly.

"No," Fiona replied, unamused.

"Hope he wasn't too heartbroken when he found out I'm not going back." Michael said this casually, but from Fiona's reaction one would have thought he'd announced he was running for president.

"What are you taking about?"

"I told you before that I wanted out. I still want that Fi, and I want you, too."

"Even now?" Fiona asked hesitantly. "Are you _sure_? I can't lose you again. I have to know _this is it_." Even as Fiona said the sentence she knew deep down that it was a lie. She'd proven time and time again that, against her better judgement, she would be there for Michael, whenever, wherever. Michael pretended he didn't know that, not wanting to take advantage of her unwavering loyalty.

"Yes, Fi," he answered with complete conviction, "I'm sure. I've waited a long time for this. I'm _done_. I'm all yours...if you'll have me."

Fiona didn't even pretend to think about his offer. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, ignoring his groans of pain, and let the tears that she had been holding in for nearly a year cascade down her cheeks. When she was done squishing her injured boyfriend, Fiona sat back and smiled.

"Do you mind handing me the phone?" asked Michael. "I want to call Strong." Fiona happily complied, barely able to believe what was about to happen. Michael Westen was going to say no to the CIA..._for her_.

The call didn't last long. From the one side of the conversation Fiona was privy to, it sounded like Michael's handler was doing his best to convince his employee to stay. She assumed that Michael was being offered all of his hopes and dreams on a silver platter, but Fiona had to give him credit; he was true to his word.

When the now officially former spy hung up the phone, Fiona planted a kiss on his forehead and whispered, "Thank you."

"It's my pleasure Fi. I've been with the CIA for so long, but after all that's happened, it's a relief to be done. Although, I will need to find another source of income if I'm going to keep up with your spending habits," he teased her lightly.

"Well," Fiona pondered, "Sam did mention that Elsa has a friend who could use some help with a nasty ex. Should I tell him we're in...as soon as these burns heal?"

Michael contemplated her offer. "I think that's a great idea. Maybe we can save up to buy a house..." Fiona nodded enthusiastically as Michael continued, "...a car...a picket fence...a dog."

Fiona giggled. "One step at a time, Michael. One step at a time."

_BNBNBNBNBNBNBN_

Well there you go. I hope you enjoyed the story. Please let me know what you thought. It means so much to me that there were such great responses to this story. I have plenty of new fics coming very soon!

And even if someone years from now is reading this, let me know. A review is NEVER too late!


End file.
